Buyer-seller balance: Is it close?

This 3 bed, 1.5 bath flat is located in the bustling Haight neighborhood.

This 3 bed, 1.5 bath flat is located in the bustling Haight neighborhood.

Photo: Lauren Cassidy

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Bay windows are a prominent feature of the living room.

Bay windows are a prominent feature of the living room.

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Both the living room and family room include a working fireplace.

Both the living room and family room include a working fireplace.

Photo: Lauren Cassidy

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Stainless steal appliance serve as accents in the open kitchen.

Stainless steal appliance serve as accents in the open kitchen.

Photo: Lauren Cassidy

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The dining room is centrally located between the open kitchen and family room.

The dining room is centrally located between the open kitchen and family room.

Photo: Lauren Cassidy

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A washer and dryer are conveniently located down the hall from the kitchen.

A washer and dryer are conveniently located down the hall from the kitchen.

Photo: Lauren Cassidy

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The master bedroom opens up to a sitting room.

The master bedroom opens up to a sitting room.

Photo: Lauren Cassidy

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A deep tub and shower combo are an asset to the master bathroom.

A deep tub and shower combo are an asset to the master bathroom.

Photo: Lauren Cassidy

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Large windows add light to the bedroom.

Large windows add light to the bedroom.

Photo: Lauren Cassidy

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The third bedroom has been converted into a cozy study.

The third bedroom has been converted into a cozy study.

Photo: Lauren Cassidy

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The updated half-bath still fits with the classic aesthetic of the house.

The updated half-bath still fits with the classic aesthetic of the house.

Photo: Lauren Cassidy

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A garden in the backyard serves as private oasis in the city.

A garden in the backyard serves as private oasis in the city.

Photo: Lauren Cassidy

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Buyer-seller balance: Is it close?

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The recent history of San Francisco’s housing market may be encapsulated in a century-old Victorian condo in the Haight-Ashbury.

Three years ago, the then-owners of 1628 Page St. were on the brink of foreclosure. They offered it for sale at $799,000, and after a fruitless month cut the price to $755,000.

Enter Jessica and Josh Rowe, who purchased it at that list price with some money back for needed repairs.

“We bought at close to the bottom of the market and got it for a really great price,” said Jessica Rowe.

Their purchase quest was chronicled (albeit in a staged recreation; a big no-no for journalists, but evidently no sweat for the fine folks of cable TV) in an HGTV episode called “A race to close on a home before it’s too late” which will be re-broadcast Aug. 28.

Jessica Rowe (left) and Josh Rowe meet with agent Tanja Beck in their rented home in San Carlos to discuss the sale of their Haight-Ashbury Victorian condo. (Rohan Smith/The Chronicle)

But after the birth of their son Harrison, now 16 months, the commute to her Jessica’s Redwood City law office started to feel too brutal. Once Josh switched jobs from Lucasfilm in Marin to a San Mateo games company, the die was cast.

“We wanted to live closer to work,” she said. They’re renting a place in San Carlos while they house-hunt in the South Bay.

The three-bedroom condo, which they remodeled, went on the market for $959,000 and is likely to sell for well above that.

“It’s fairly big at 1,870 square feet and an additional 600 square feet in storage,” said their agent, Tanja Beck of Zephyr Real Estate in San Francisco.

But as they discovered, while it’s great to be a seller in this market, it’s tough to be a buyer. It’s like going from prom queen to rejected wallflower.

Now a better balance between buyers and sellers may be starting. July home sales in the Bay Area showed that inventory is finally on the upswing. For a detailed look at price and sales data for the nine counties, click here.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. For news and insights on Bay Area real estate, follower her on Twitter: @csaid